The Cubs also said they had no plans to discontinue their practice of having "guest conductors" lead the crowd in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch, as McMichael did Tuesday.

"I felt queasy when Steve began to talk about the umpires," said John McDonough, the Cubs' vice president of marketing and broadcasting. "I knew the umpires would be upset, knowing the volatility of the crowd. The timing was not good."

With the Cubs in a tight division race, manager Don Baylor had more practical concerns.

"I worried about a forfeit," Baylor said. "A lot of people do not realize that was a possibility. I told the umpire we do not condone what [McMichael] did."

McMichael's target was plate umpire Angel Hernandez, who had called Ron Coomer out at the plate in the sixth inning of the Cubs' 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

When he took the mike, McMichael told the crowd not to worry about the call on Coomer, that he and the umpire would "have some speaks."

Hernandez, who'd been under fire from both sides for his ball-and-strike calls, whirled toward the press box and jerked his thumb into the air in the sign that he had ejected somebody from the game--in this case, the ex-Bear and former pro wrestler in the press box.

McMichael remained in the press box area for several minutes. Then he left the park.

"When the umpire asked us to have Steve ejected, we complied immediately, as we would with any umpire's request," McDonough said. "I never heard the word `forfeit' mentioned. I don't believe the game was in jeopardy.

"What happened was regrettable," said McDonough, adding that general manager Andy MacPhail "apologized to the umpires."

Unruly fan behavior has been the cause of at least three forfeits in baseball history, including the infamous "Disco Demolition Night" at Comiskey Park in 1979, when the White Sox forfeited the second game of a doubleheader to the Detroit Tigers after fans tore up the field.

The Cleveland Indians forfeited a game to the Texas Rangers when a dime-beer night crowd got out of hand in 1974, and the Dodgers forfeited to the Cardinals in 1995 when fans threw promotional baseballs onto the field at Dodger Stadium.

The Cubs have had almost 300 guest conductors, continuing a tradition started by broadcaster Harry Caray.

The idea of the guest conductor "is supposed to be fun, not confrontational," McDonough said. "It is not to be a forum where any individual can weigh in on any game situation."

McDonough said he routinely outlines do's and don't's for the singers, as he did with McMichael, and that this was the first time something unacceptable had occurred. He said the Cubs would continue to stress to future singers that they are not to comment on game situations or umpires.

A partial list of seventh-inning guest conductors includes Bill Murray, Mickey Rooney, Barney the Dinosaur, Cardinal Francis George, Billy Corgan, Bozo the Clown and Ron Santo, who has sung five times, including Wednesday.

Tuesday's incident prompted some fans to wonder if an umpire had ever before ejected somebody from a press box.

"No, and I don't want to see it again," said Baylor, no fan of McMichael's.

Randy Marsh, umpire crew chief for the Rockies-Cubs series, was an exception. He said he saw an ump toss somebody from the press box "in a minor-league game. The general manager cussed out the ump ... next to an open mike he didn't realize was open."

Ah-one, ah-two, ah-three . . .

Some of the most memorable attempts to conduct the seventh-inning stretch sing-along:

Mike Ditka ('98, '99, '00): "Da Coach" could have been ticketed for an SUI-- singing under the influence. Actually he was screaming, not singing.

Dick Butkus ('00): Declared before his rendition: "I can't be worse than Ditka."

Ronnie "Woo" Wickers ('01): First regular fan to get the honor, in response to a petition to the Cubs' marketing dept. His new molars helped his smile, if not his voice, but Cubs went on a long winning streak after his rendition this year.

"Barney the Dinosaur" ('01): Only little kids were rooting against his extinction.

Eddie Vedder ('98): Three years later we're still waiting for an encore. Vedder deserved a Grammy for his spiritual tune.